Research has shown, and I believe it is true, that humans are hardwired
to convey and accept information in the form of stories. Whether you are
gathered around an overhead projector or a campfire, good stories and
the knowledge and excitement they convey are always waiting to be told.
Sometimes it just takes a good coach to uncover them.

When I do media and presentation training, I draw upon my experiences
from several areas. I've been giving presentations since I was in seventh
grade when I won the trophy for best humorous interpretation of a story
in a citywide tournament.

Stand-up comedy. Since 1986 I've performed at clubs such as
ThePunchline, Catch A Rising Star and the Holy City Zoo in San
Francisco. I learned to write funny stories and tell them in the spotlight.
I teach some of the same skills to my clients.

High-technology public relations. My 15 years of experience
helps me teach others how to craft information into a story for the
media that is well-positioned relative to other technologies, and how
to catch the interest of specific editors and publications.

Improvisational theater. From this area I learned how to teach
narrative skills and how to help people deal with fear of failure.

Storytelling. Following the tenets of storytelling helps me
teach others to uncover the brilliant stories within material that appears
technical or boring.

While consulting for one client, Tektronix, I trained a presenter who
knew the content of his presentation, but was having trouble engaging
listeners. As I asked him a series of questions about the presentation,
it became clear that he was having trouble shifting gears from the role
of product manager to media spokesperson. I asked him to tell me some
stories about the users of the product.

"I can't. All the really cool users are classified!" he said.
After a bit more digging it turned out the high-energy plasma physics
group at Yale was also using the product.

"And how are they using it?" I asked.

He started giving a detailed technical answer.

"Think bigger picture," I probed.

"They are using the product to unlock the secrets of the universe."

That sounded pretty big picture to me.

Following our session he went on the road with his presentation to the
press. One editor later told the president of Tektronix that my client's
presentation was the best he had ever seen from a vendor in this area
and the best he had seen from Tektronix in years.